Danbury Mint 1:24 1953 Studebaker Commander- Starliner Hardtop

Reviewed by:
Tony F Perrone

At the top of nearly every collector’s wish list for a number of years, the Boyz of Connecticut decided to build a one-twenty fourth version of the Studebaker Starliner. They tooled up a brand new 1953 front end. They did the same for the chassis and running gear. They fashioned up a roof, body panels and trunk that mimicked the Starliner’s lines and styling identically. The Commander’s engine was built to the car’s scale standards and they added the perfectly fabricated interior of the hardtop for 1953 and before you knew it, they had an exacting Studebaker Commander Starliner Hardtop – simple! Sort of like sculpting an elephant out of clay; you simply remove everything that doesn’t look like an elephant. Ok, obviously, you know it doesn’t work that way but what we have is a gorgeous rendition of Studebaker’s idea of a European styling exercise for the early fifties.

Studebaker executives were amazed to learn that their Starliner and Starlight coupes outsold their sedans by four to one! Their vision for fifty-three was to manufacture cars with European profiles. Sharing essentially the same body, the Champion was equipped with a six cylinder engine while the Commander boasted the V-8 powerplant. Starlight hardtops featured a roof pillar while the Starliner was a true coupe. Under the watchful eye of the Raymond Loewy Studio’s Robert Bourke, even the dashboard held the styling cues of a European-designed vehicle. The car had some problems though. To allow for absorption of common road inconsistencies and bumps, the chassis was designed to ‘flex’. This created squeaks and road noise that haunted the car early on.

Also early on, sheet metal ills plagued the car as the front clip didn’t quite fit the bodies of the coupe variants. But these issues aside, the car became a dream of car collectors decades later. In fact, Studebaker’s advertisement pieces were then fully realized. They said, “The New Studebaker With The European Look.” And went on to proclaim that its, “Styling (was) straight out of the dream book.” Now, thanks to DM, we can finally realize that dream too. It comes in the Commander V-8 configuration. It sports the highly popular-for-1953 Bombay Red and Salem White paint combo. The engine and interior are right out of Studebaker picture books. You’d swear Mr. Bourke collaborated with the DM Boyz on this mesmerizing diecast. The paint is glossy and rich.

And right where the white paint meets the red body, Studebaker and Danbury Mint planted a tee-tiny, “Studebaker” emblem; the smallest ever on a 1:24th diecast?? The model holds all of DM’s fascinating illusions; internally sprung door hinges, scissors spring hood hinges, detailed engine, interior, trunk and chassis. The front fender vents open and the “V-8” emblems on all four corners of the car are meticulously crafted. If ever there were a, “must have” model, this will fit the bill. We aren’t seeing the enormity of new tooling that we once were but when we do, DM shoots for the stars. This is the latest Preview Society issue.